From Foxtrot to Technobot

Calling me names: Someone recently called me a technobot. In my 60 something years, I’ve been called worse. I certainly do love to embrace (or downright cuddle and spoon) new technology innovations with the anticipation and thrill of a teenage kiss. You may have read about these developing passions of mine in my 50 Shades of Mac post. But back to the business at hand.

What’s up? Recently I learned how to email money to and from my bank account. The thought of my hard-earned dollars whizzing through cyberspace at warp speed, sent me reeling with the sheer magic of it all. Oh the wonders and conveniences of this brave new world. To think that in my early childhood years I actually lived without electricity or telephones. Hell, my first school bus consisted of two horses pulling a boxy cabin on wheels, while we sat on the benches that lined the interior of the windowless walls. But I digress.

A school holiday was declared when electricity finally found its way into our town. Life was simple…and then it all changed. The gaslights were turned off one by one, as the telephones started to ring and television sets introduced us to I Love Lucy.

The year was 1952 in small town Ontario.

So what’s the big deal? Well…today on the 2nd day of the third month, in the year 2014, I actually deposited a cheque to my bank account from my home, using my iPhone! I simply took a picture of the front and back of the cheque, and voila! It was deposited to my account, while I sat at my kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee! I am feeling quite light-headed from the dizzying experience.

Don’t judge me yet: Now I can hear you thinking…this poor woman has no life, to get so excited about such a silly unimportant thing. Whoa…hold on there Nellie! Yes, okay I admit, new technology turns my crank, juices my engines and puts newfound energy into my yoga pants. And at my age, that’s got to be worth something! But it’s much more than that to me.

The meaning of life: This experience means that as I progress into the scary world of aging, I am learning how to embrace change and enjoy it. It means I can stay current and talk about these innovations with my family, and be connected to their world. In a more tangible sense, it means I can stay home to do my banking, instead of venturing out in the cold and snow. And in some small way, it helps me feel relevant in this rapidly changing world.

Stay tuned: So many seniors I meet are computer savvy. But just as many are not, and resist any suggestion of getting on board. As we age, our worlds often become smaller and smaller, due to illness, physical limitations, financial situations or family circumstance. Just think of the endless possibilities of entertainment, education and communication, if we stay tuned-in instead of tuned-out. The wonders of the Internet connects us with the universe, right from the comfort of our recliners.

Luv U2: I’m sure there are thousands of children and grandchildren out there, dying to give their grandparents a tablet (computer not medical) so they can stay in touch through Facebook, email and texting. And it’s never too late to learn. On the contrary, it’s exactly the right time. How can I put a value on the simple texts I get from my granddaughter to say goodnight, or to tell me she loves me? Phone calls are out with these kids…texting is in.

True colours: I’ve come a long way from living with gas-powered washing machines, wood stoves and hand-cranked record players for learning the foxtrot. In my sepia drenched memories, those days seem like they were a part of a kinder, gentler life. But as a child with those memories, I didn’t have to haul the water, chop the wood, or wrestle the frozen sheets off the clothesline. And I also didn’t have to trudge through the snow, all the way to the only telephone in town, when the doctor called my mother from the city about my Dad’s serious condition in hospital. Just imagine the number of changes in my very short lifetime. From sepia to living colour!

She who laughs: So scoff at me if you will, as I languish in my senior moments of pure cyber-bliss. But you might think of me the next time you stand in line at the bank, or walk across an icy parking lot to deposit your cheques at an ATM. I’ll be at home sipping coffee in my jammies doing the same thing…using my I-Phone. Try it…it’s nothing short of amazing! And we cottonheads need to be amazed now and then. Prevents blindness.

Got to say Pat, you have a way with words. My sentiments exactly. I too, remember the days and also enjoy the world of cyberspace. “Cottonheads”- I like that! I am obviously not a millennial, but rather a centennial- and proud of it :)

I also love the technological advances we’ve seen over our lifetime (so far). I’m not a frequent texter, but it does have it’s uses like today when my daughter was in a noisy arena and I wanted to let her know we were running a bit late. Didn’t want her thinking we had the wrong time or arena. But I did secretly re check her email to make sure we were carting the other grandkids to the right place. The cheque deposit app would be useful…. if only someone would send me a cheque. Sadly that seems to be in my past as well. Keep up the great blogs..love reading them.

Thanks Pat Skene! You have given me the incentive to look into same with my monthly cheques! Sure would save a lot of hassles for me. I have embraced texting…how else would I communicate with my children grandsons! Sure don’t want to be left behind!

I gave up trying to get my grandchildren to return my calls and entered the brave new world of Facebook so we could keep in touch. Soon they told me they’d abandoned Facebook and turned to texting. I learned to text and they said they’d moved to Twitter, so I tweeted.

When I invited these same teenage youngsters to read my blog, they did so to be polite and were kind with their responses; but then they told my husband reading a blog took too much time. Couldn’t I just call and tell them what was on my mind? Yikes!